


A King’s Fall (A Pale King Character Study)

by TheNicePrincess



Category: Hollow Knight (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, Character Study, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Unhappy Ending, other characters to be tagged - Freeform, pale king suffers: the novel, will tag later warnings if applicable
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-07-26
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:54:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25411195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheNicePrincess/pseuds/TheNicePrincess
Summary: The kingdom of Hallownest wasn’t always left in ruin. It once was a bustling kingdom that kept many bugs happy and content with their lives, run by a strong king and queen.However, we all know how the story ends, yet we don’t know how it got there. It’s time to go through that journey through the eyes of none other than the Pale King.(None of what I say in this story is 100% canon. I simply use what we have available as context clues to paint a story and use it to study the Pale King’s character)
Relationships: The Pale King/White Lady (Hollow Knight)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 19





	1. Final Day Of Calm

**Author's Note:**

> Not much to expect from this chapter, it’s mostly just fluff to set the scene and context ^^

It was a quiet morning. Nothing out of the ordinary would have risen the two sleeping monarchs from their sleep this early in the morning. Just a simple beam of sunlight through one of the windows did the trick, waking the smaller of the two from his slumber. He was slow to move, both from his own morning exhaustion and as to not wake his beloved partner sleeping beside him. Carefully he sat up, stretching his arms above his head and letting his three pairs of wings stretch out to get rid of the stiff knots left from being still and somewhat squished while he slept. His shining carapace, while blinding to most bugs, only served as a minor annoyance to his beloved, the same way the sun shining through was to him. She soon began to rise too, slowly sitting up and yawning as she stretched out her arms and branches. 

“Good morning beloved wyrm.” Her tired voice broke the spell of silence as she carefully wrapped her arms around her husband’s smaller frame. A quiet and tired chuckle escaped him as he turned his head to meet her gaze. 

“Good morning my root. Did I wake you?” His own voice was quieter than it normally would be, having just woken up and being trapped in his lover’s embrace. 

“Your light may have shone in my eyes, but it’s nothing to concern yourself with.” Her voice had an underlying giggle in it, one that made the king melt even further in her hold. He truly loved her, he couldn’t have been luckier to have such a kind and understanding partner. He shivered a bit as her hand wandered to the brand burned into his chest, the one symbol that undeniably proved that he was the king of Hallownest, a kingdom he had built from the ground up. 

“Shall we stay in bed late today? You don’t have any appointments this morning from what I recall, and my obligations are in the evening.” The idea was tempting, deliciously so. They rarely had time to spend in one another’s embrace these days, surely staying in for a little bit longer couldn’t hurt. Folding his wings against his back to make the motion less awkward, he turned to face his root and wrapped his four arms around her. 

“You propose a wonderful idea, my dear. How long has it been since we embraced each other like this?” 

“I can’t recall. Not that it matters, it’d have been too long even if it was only yesterday.” The silly statement managed to get the pair to share a quiet giggle, almost as if this moment was a forbidden secret only the two of them shared. In a way, it was, not that either of them cared. The moment was too blissful and warm for either of them to think about it for longer than a moment. 

“You’re certainly right, my root. I’ve missed holding you like this.” He leaned upwards to kiss her, and thankfully was met halfway to make the task less maddening. Her lips were as sweet as honey, and as soft as flower petals. It was a feeling he would never be able to get used to, an addictive one that always made him feel powerless in her hold. He truly was blessed, not many could find their forever partner, especially among higher beings. Yet he was lucky enough to find his root, in the same place where he had been reborn. The two pulled away and a small moment of blissful silence was soon after. A moment of silence that said more about their feelings than they could ever dream of putting into words. 

One that made the two lean in to kiss each other again, but before they could, an urgent and fast knocking on the door broke the spell. The two pulled away from each other fully, and the curtains that surrounded their shared bed were quickly drawn. Gazing upon the king directly would cause irreparable damage to any normal bug, and that included the servants that populated the palace. 

“You may enter!” His voice was no longer soft from love and sleep, but rather the loud and commanding tone he took on in his court. The door opened and a nervous caretaker entered, keeping their eyes to the ground as a sign of respect. 

“Forgive me for disturbing you this early your majesties, but there is an urgent matter that you two just see immediately.” The two monarchs were a bit surprised by this statement, giving each other quick glances before the woman responded. 

“Is that so? Did something happen with the other territories?” 

“No, not that… rather, we fear a new ailment we have never seen before is settling over the kingdom.” Hearing that caught their attention completely. They have dealt with ailments and wars before, but it was always important to stop them in their infancy stages whenever possible. 

“We will be out in a moment. Leave us.” The servant bowed and left the room in a hurry, quietly closing the door behind him. The wyrm opened up the curtains and left their bed to quickly make himself decent. His beloved soon followed after him, the concern they shared more visible on her form. 

“He sounded panicked, do you have an idea of what it could be this time?” 

“No, I don’t. We’ve dealt with illnesses before though, most likely they were concerned because of serious symptoms.” Hearing her beloved’s words did help soothe her own worries somewhat, and she let out a small giggle. The two didn’t take long to get dressed for the day, their outfits only being simple robes that kept most of their bodies hidden. The wyrm however, also grabbed a veil and draped it over his face. With a light as bright and damaging as his, it was important to cover up as much as possible as to not harm those around him. His wings twitched in nervousness under his robe, but he opted to ignore it. It was simply an ailment, it would be handled in due time with enough time and research into the cause and cure. 

The two both took one more moment for each other, holding the other’s hand and gazing at each other with more love in their eyes than they could possibly express, before leaving their chambers. They no longer were two lovers in a small sanctuary, with no cares or responsibilities in the world. 

They were Pale Beings, the rulers of Hallownest; the Pale King and the White Lady. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, yeah. Here’s the first chapter of this random impulse made decision. I hope you all have fun with me on this journey!


	2. Acidic Orange Slime

This ailment was not what the two expected to see. It was a soldier that had been brought in, with unnaturally orange eyes and a sluggish demeanor that could only be described as near stagnant. The Pale King narrowed his eyes in thought at the strange ailment. Nothing even similar had happened in the kingdom’s lifetime…

“Have you checked for any further ailments?” 

“Yes your majesty. When we were able to restrain him, we saw several orange cysts growing over his body. They nearly popped when we put pressure on them, and it seemed to cause him immense pain.” The cysts were a great detail, but… restrain? The bug in front of him didn’t seem to be capable of movement. 

“What do you mean by restrain?”

“Well, he… he attacked his fellow soldiers. His training was still there, but his movements were erratic. Based on emotion, on instinct.” Curious… The Pale King narrowed his eyes in thought. So this ailment seemed to cause a sort of mental deterioration and not just physical afflictions. 

“Do you know when the signs might have started showing?” His beloved root spoke this time. The caretaker and the guard looked at each other and shook their heads. 

“I was with him on his last shift of the night, your majesty. There was nothing ailing him, he was exactly the same as he always was.” The White Lady nodded, seemingly satisfied with that answer. 

“Your majesty, with all due respect, are you sure this is a good idea to have you both be so close?” Another voice cut through the questions, and attention was turned to the knights that stood nearby: Dryya and Isma. 

“Of course I am Dryya. I’m thankful you care for me, but afflictions of this nature cannot harm us.” The signature warm tone in the queen’s voice seemed to satisfy Dryya’s worries, and she nodded, once again falling to silence. 

“I’m rather curious about these cysts. If they cover his body as you say, his movement should have been limited, yet it seems he put up quite the fight.” The Pale King took a step forward to examine the soldier that was brought in, only to quickly step back once the now orange eyes opened. The soldier looked up quickly, unnaturally so, and let out a guttural roar that no one present had heard before. A sudden charge directed towards the king caught almost everyone off guard, with the exception of the knights. This is what they were trained to do, after all. 

Dryya was quick to move herself in front of the king and queen, her nail drawn and ready to block any attacks. Isma, meanwhile, clasped her hands together and focused her magic. The knight was knocked back by Dryya’s parry, and was grabbed by the wrist by vines that quickly grew from the cracks and crevices of the flooring. The soldier continued to scream and struggle against the vines, causing Isma in turn to summon more to restrain him further. It took only a few moments for the infected bug to be restrained completely and for the adrenaline in the room to run low. 

“Your majesties, are you alright? Are either of you harmed?” Dryya was quick to ask, never taking her eyes off the traitorous bug. 

“I am fine, Dryya.”

“I am as well. Thank you both for protecting us, more so me in this case.” It was strange. This rage was something he hadn’t seen before in such a time. It was almost primitive in nature, savage even. What sort of mental damage could this affliction cause?

“Your majesties, I deeply apologize. I had no idea that he would—“

“It’s alright. Bring him to a cell for now, keep him isolated. If this infection is able to cause such sudden spikes in rage and physical ability despite the cysts covering the body, it’s best to limit the spread as much as we can.” The caretaker showed visible relief that the king didn’t seem to take this mistake as an act of betrayal, and nodded at his command. 

“Of course your majesty.”

“If any more cases are reported, require isolation of the party by any means necessary. I will be contacting Monomon so that she may research these affects and assist in finding a cure as soon as possible. You’re both dismissed.” The guard and the caretaker both bowed and turned to leave the room, Isma following them with the captured infected one in her vines.

Another moment of silence fell before the Pale King let out a sigh he hadn’t realized he was holding. This was… bizarre. Ailments they have coped with in the past have never resulted in aggression, especially of such magnitude. This… was going to be tricky. 

“Dear wyrm, are you alright?” His wife’s words cut through his thoughts, and he turned to face her. He met her worried gaze with a gentle smile before letting out another sigh. 

“Physically I am fine, otherwise I am quite troubled about this development.”

“I can understand why. This is a strange case, one I haven’t seen before as well.” So it wasn’t something that had existed in Hallownest prior to his arrival. Good to know for possible research down the line. 

“I will have to use my foresight when we retire this evening. Given such unique symptoms, we must know what path we are currently on and see if it can be changed.” His foresight had been… hindered since he had chosen to shed his former shape, but still having some sort of access to his ability was better than nothing. The White Lady nodded, before turning to Dryya. 

“Dryya, please cancel any appointments we may have today, and have a letter sent to Monomon the Teacher. Have her meet with us as soon as she is able.” Dryya nodded and bowed to both of them, promptly spinning on her heel and leaving the room afterwards. The White Lady knew her wyrm, while they may not have as many tomes in the palace as the archives did in Fog Canyon, he would wish to scour them just in case. 

“Before you go anywhere, we must get something to eat. It’ll be noon before we know it, and it’s not a good plan to go study on an empty stomach.” Her jovial tone was enough to make the king laugh, his worries momentarily dispersed. She always knew how to dismiss his worries with little to no effort. 

“I suppose you are right. Will you be joining me?”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should probably preface this is gonna be a long read. I don’t know how long, but long enough for there to be a warning. So yeah, strap in for the long haul y’all, I’m gonna have fun exploring PK’s character and I hope you all enjoy the story I tell with him


End file.
